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Stitch, also known as Experiment 626, is an illegal genetic experiment created by Jumba Jookiba, one of the two titular characters of the Lilo & Stitch franchise, and its primary protagonist. Originally created to cause chaos across the galaxy, he is marked by his short temper and mischievous behavior, traits that endear him to his friend Lilo Pelekai, who adopted him as her "dog". Through Lilo, he developed from an apathetic, destructive creature, to a loving, self-conscious family member.
In real life, Stitch was created by Lilo & Stitch writer and director Chris Sanders, who also voices the character in the film and most media.
Why He Means Family
- Stitch is one of Disney's iconic, well-known characters in their huge animated library, and arguably their animation studio's first 21st century-introduced character to become iconic.
- He is designed to be abnormally strong, virtually indestructible, super-intelligent, and very mischievous.
- He is bulletproof, fireproof, shockproof, can think faster than a supercomputer, can see in the dark, and can lift objects 3,000 times his size.
- Although still hot-tempered and mischievous, which causes him to do things unintentionally, he is reasonably well-behaved and very good-hearted.
- Despite having superhuman strength and a high level of computer intelligence, Stitch is emotionally fragile and has a childlike personality beneath his monster-esque exterior, giving him a layer of emotional complexity.
- His adorable, loving relationship with Lilo and her ʻohana.
- Just like how Olaf represents the love between Elsa and Anna in Frozen, Stitch represents the love between Nani and Lilo. He, in a way, despite his initially somewhat rocky relationship with both sisters due to his destructive nature, is somehow indirectly responsible for uniting the "broken" Pelekai ʻohana together consisting of only the Pelekai sisters Lilo and Nani. This is best exemplified twice in the original film, first near the end when he convinces Nani, who at that point is at her lowest low after Lilo gets abducted by Gantu, convinces her to aid her, Pleakley and Jumba in rescuing Lilo by reminding Nani that "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten" (which he learned from both Pelekai sisters earlier in the film), as well as the very end of the film's ending montage showcasing the Pelekai family photo modified with Stitch added in the background to signify the family altogether.
- He is very courteous and gentlemanly to his girlfriend Angel (Experiment 624). Even when he was first smitten with her because of her looks, he gives her nothing but kindness and respect, even when she doesn't deserve it.
- He has one of the most unique designs among all Disney characters. Despite his apparent ugliness and initial gross behavior, he comes across as cute and fluffy, especially once his character development kicks in.
- Before the first film came out, there were hilarious teaser trailers known as "Inter-Stitch-als" where Stitch crashes the memorable moments of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. It's an example of marketing done right and could be one of the reasons why the first film did well at the box office despite being released during one of Walt Disney Animation Studios' least successful periods.
"Meega, nala kweesta!" Qualities
- Stitch can be a tad annoying and gross at times, with the worst instance being the infamous 2004–2018 Walt Disney World attraction Stitch's Great Escape!, which was such a poor showcase for the character that it killed off any further prospects of another Lilo & Stitch attraction in the two American Disney Parks resorts.
- His huge popularity is a double-edged sword as he tends to overshadow virtually all the other great characters from his franchise, especially in merchandising. The fact that he got three unnecessary spin-offs (the aforementioned Stitch! and Stitch & Ai, plus manga Stitch & the Samurai) and his whole franchise was even rebranded to only his name in 2021 shows just how Disney abuses his popularity.
- All his character development is whisked away in the anime, Stitch!, forcing him to go through the motions again.
- In Stitch & Ai, he is given an unnecessary new metamorphosis ability, including the ability to grow into a giant monster, that was never needed for him before or since, even if it technically fits what he was designed to be.
- In both the international animated adaptations Stitch! and Stitch & Ai, Ben Diskin, who is otherwise a fantastic voice actor, does a rather lackluster job voicing Stitch, lacking the genuine charm that Chris Sanders brings to the character.
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